What are the phases of an interior design project?
There is no single standard, and firms and contracts name them differently. A widely used pattern has six stages: discovery (brief), concept, design development, documentation and procurement, installation (site), and handover. The point in Notion is not which names you pick but that every project uses the same ones.
| Phase | Main outputs | Exit gate |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Brief, measured survey, budget range | Signed brief and fee proposal |
| Concept | Mood boards, layouts, first palette | Concept approved |
| Design development | Selections, drawings, costed schedule | Selections approved |
| Documentation and procurement | Drawing set, purchase orders, vendor confirmations | Orders placed |
| Installation | Deliveries, site visits, snagging list | Install complete |
| Handover | Care notes, final reconciliation | Client sign-off |
How do you set up phases in Notion?
- 1
Add a Phase select to Projects
Values are your phase names, in order. This shows where each project is.
- 2
Create a Tasks database
Properties: Task, Project (relation), Phase (select), Owner, Due, Status.
- 3
Build a phase task template
One database template per phase, pre-filled with the standard task checklist.
- 4
Add gate fields
On Projects: Concept approved on, Selections approved on, Install complete on (dates).
- 5
Create views
Board of Projects by Phase; table of Tasks due this week; list of overdue gates.
Keep gate dates as properties, not comments. They become the evidence for what was agreed and when, and they feed the approvals guide linked below.
What tasks belong in each phase?
Discovery
- Site visit and measure
- Client questionnaire and lifestyle notes
- Budget conversation
- Fee proposal sent and signed
Concept
- Mood boards
- Space plan options
- Palette and material direction
- Concept presentation
Design development and documentation
- Selections per room
- Costed FF&E schedule
- Drawings and specification issued
- Trade quotes requested
Procurement, installation and handover
- Purchase orders sent
- Delivery dates confirmed
- Site visits logged
- Snagging list closed
- Final reconciliation and handover pack
How should phases connect to approvals and fees?
Phases are most useful when they drive two other things: approvals and billing. Link each gate to the approval record, and if you bill by stage, add a Billing milestone property so a finished phase prompts an invoice.
Check the wording of your own contract: some contracts tie payments to stages, others to dates or hours.
What if a project overlaps phases?
Real projects overlap: the kitchen is in install while the bedrooms are still in concept. Handle that by adding the Phase property to Rooms as well as Projects. The project-level phase becomes the earliest unfinished room, shown with a rollup, while each room moves on its own.
Avoid creating a duplicate project per phase. One project, many phases, keeps history together.
What does a weekly phase review look like?
- Board view: any project stuck in a phase longer than usual?
- Gates: which approvals are outstanding and for how many days?
- Tasks: anything overdue, anything due before the next site visit?
- Next phase: does the incoming phase have its template tasks loaded?
Where InteriorDesignOS fits
InteriorDesignOS tracks each project's status (Enquiry through Completed) and a DRAW phase (Design brief, Revisions, Approvals, Wrap), plus an Approvals section and a deadlines calendar. If you prefer the six-phase naming above, you can rename or add a property; the template is yours to edit.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the main phases of an interior design project?
- Commonly discovery, concept, design development, documentation and procurement, installation and handover. Names and the number of phases differ by firm and contract.
- How do I track project phases in Notion?
- Add a Phase select property to Projects, a Tasks database linked to projects, and a board view grouped by phase. Add dated gate properties for each approval.
- Should every phase have a client approval?
- Most designers gate at least concept and selections, because changes after those points are costly. Record the approval date as a property.
- Can I reuse phase checklists?
- Yes. Create a database template per phase containing its standard tasks, and apply it when a project enters that phase.
- How do I handle phases that overlap across rooms?
- Give Rooms their own Phase property and roll the earliest unfinished room up to the project. Each room then moves independently.
Sources
Keep reading
- Interior designClient approval tracking for interior design: from mood board to ready-to-orderTrack interior design approvals item by item: scheme sign-off, selection approvals, ready-to-order checks and a dated record that survives a change of mind.3 min read · 17 October 2026
- Studio workflowsFF&E budget tracking in Notion: columns, status flow and roll-upsThe exact FF&E schedule columns, a status flow from proposed to installed, and the roll-up formulas that show budget versus committed spend in Notion.4 min read · 27 October 2026
- Running a practiceNotion for interior designers: the complete guide to running your studioHow interior designers use Notion: projects and rooms, selections and FF&E, mood boards, client approvals, procurement, budgets and a weekly studio routine.4 min read · 17 October 2026
- Interior designInterior design fee proposals that get signed (and how to track them in Notion)How to write interior design fee proposals clients sign: scope, fee structure, exclusions, stages and terms, plus a Notion pipeline to track every proposal.3 min read · 17 October 2026